Branded search is Google search traffic where the user typed your brand name (or a close variant) into the query. These are the warmest possible search clicks — the user already knows you exist and is looking specifically for you. Branded ROAS is consistently the highest of any paid channel.
Why brands bid on their own name
- Defensive: if you don't bid, a competitor or affiliate can take the top spot above your organic listing
- Capture: even when your organic result is #1, the paid result above it still pulls 5-15% additional clicks
- Control: you write the ad copy, choose the landing page, send the user where you want them
Why it overstates marketing performance
Branded-search ROAS in your dashboard is misleading. The user was already converting — they typed your brand name. You'd have captured most of those visitors via the free organic listing anyway. Reported branded ROAS of 15× usually has incremental ROAS closer to 3-5× once you back out the would-have-converted-anyway. Strip branded out of your blended numbers when comparing channels.
Bid management
Cap branded budget aggressively — there's no need to pay for impression share you'd capture organically. Use Target Impression Share with a 90% target rather than maximising clicks; you only need to be visible, not dominant.